Rubber-working machine.



GEORGE W. BULLEY, OFST. JOSEPH, MICHIGAN.

RUBBER-WORKING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. *7, 1919;

Application filed March 10, 1917, Serial No. 153,833. Renewed May21,1918 Serial No. 235,856.

- To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. BULLEY, agcitizen of the United States,residing at Joseph, in the county of Berrien and 51State of Michigan,have invented certain .jmew and useful Improvements in Rubber- WorkingMachines, of which the following is a specification.

and more particularly to machines which are adapted for mixing andcompounding rubber, and the like. I

One object of my invention is the provision of a machine adapted toeffect maximum mixing of the materials making up the rubber compound,and the like, or one in which the compounding materials are distributedevenly and thoroughly throughout the rubber.

A further object is the provision of a machine of the charactermentioned which is adapted to separate the mass of material passingthrough the machine and by conducting the parts at diflerent speeds tobring different parts together upon the'return of the divided massbefore the latter is discharged from the machine.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

A11 embodiment of my invention is shown in the accompanying drawings,forming a part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 is a sideelevation of a mixing or compounding machine embodying my invention. V

Fig. 2 is a section taken on line 22 of Fig. 1. I ,"Fig. 3 is a sectiontaken on line 33 of (Fig. 2.

': Fig. 1; and

Fig. 5 is a fragmental view showing the discharge opening of themachine.

4 The mixing machine shown, described and "claimed herein is designed tocarry out the 4'6 method of mixing and compounding rubber constitutingthe subject matter of my co- ..pendi-ngapplication, Serial No. 154,968,filed Mar -.15, 1917. v

Referrin-g more. particularly to the drawings, I have illustrated amachine comprising a. casing 6'made up, in the present instance, ofthree parts 7 8 and 9. The parts 7, 8 and 9 are secured together bybolts or screws 10. or when so desired, in ,any other manner. The casingalso may be made of My invention relates to mixing machines,

I "Fig. 4 is a section taken on'line 4L-4= of more or less parts whendesired. The casing 6 has a passage or chamber 11 substantially tubularin form, which has a feed opening 12 at one end, and a feed opening 13at its other end. At each feed opening is a hopper 14 which facilitatesdirecting materials into the chamber 11. In the cham-. ber 11 I haveshown a screw member 15 mounted in a manner to rotate therein. with theperiphery of the screw adapted to engage the-inner periphery of thecasing so that materials around the screw will engage the casing andadhere thereto in a manner to cause the materials to become mixed, orthe other materials distributed throughoutthe rubber during the processof moving the materials through said chamher. The screw 15 is providedWith a stem or shaft 16 which is journaled at one end in the casing 6,and provided on its end which extends through the casing with a. gearwheel 17 and a pulley 18, the pulley 18 is adapted to be connected withany suitable source of power for operating the screw member 15. I havenot shown a bearing member in the chamber 11 adjacent the feed opening13, but one may provide a bearing for this end of the shaft avhen sodesired. In the present machine the inner bore of the chamber 11provides a bearing for this end of the screw member 15.

At the end of the chamber 11, adjacent the feed opening '13, I haveprovided a substantially tubular chamber 19 at right angles to thechamber 11, with the chamber 1.1 opening into the central portion ofchamber 19. In the chamber 19 I provide a screw member 20 which isjournaled at its end portions 21 in suitable\hearings 22 in the casing6. One end'21 of the screw mem- 95 her 20 is provided with a gear 23which is connected to a'train of gearing 24 with the gear'17 on thescrew member 15. The screw member 20 is provided with right and lefthand threads so that it Will divide ma- 100 terials fed from the screw15 and conduct such materials toward its ends. I also provide one end ofthe screw with threads of shorter'pitch than the other end so that thematerial will be fed more slowly toward one 105 end than the other. Thereason for this will be set forth hereinafter. 1

At the ends of chamber 19 I provide openings 25 which open into the endportions of a chamber-26 similar to chamber 19. In the 1 0 chamber 26 Iprovide a screw member 27 similar to screw member 20. The screw member27 has its threads formed part right hand and part left hand with thethreads on one end of .the screw having a greater pitch than on theother. This screw is adapted to carry the material from the ends ofchamber 26 to the central portion thereof and force such materialoutwardly through a chamber 28 and die member 29 to discharge thematerial from the machine. The die member 29 is provided with a centralopening in which is mounted a shaft 30, and the latter connected by atrain of gears 31 with the gear 23. On the shaft 30 may be provideda.knife 32 adapted to sever the particles of material squeezed outthrough the openings 33 of the die member 29. The

sired, together with its driving gearing.

' The gear 23 is connected to the screw member 27 by means of a gear 34meshing thereout the mass.

with. The gear 34 is mounted on the ends 35 of the screw member 27 inbearings 36 in casing 6. 5

In the operation of a'machine embodying my invention, it will beapparent that by placing the desired materials in the feed opening 12,such materials will be carried through the chamber 11 as a single massby screw 15, and at the same time said screw, cooperating with the innerwalls of the chamber 11, will manipulate and mix said materials of themass and cause the particles of the materials to be distributed throughAs the mass of material passes from the chamber 11 into the chamber 19it divides into two masses or streams which are taken in oppositedirections by the threads of the screwv 20. Since the threads are ofdifferent pitch the screw acts to move the two masses of material in thechamber 19 at relatively different speeds. The two streams or massespass through the openings 25 at the ends of chamber 19 and are thereupontaken up by the second screw 27. This second screw is also provided withthreads of different pitchv and likewise progresses the masses ofmaterial differentially. bringing the masses together againsubstantially at the center of the chamber 26. It will be understoodthat the material is constantly subjected to a manipulating and mixingaction during progress through the chambers, and when the masses meetagain at the center of the chamber 26 they intermix and are manipulatedin passing out of the passage 28 and discharge openings 33. On accountof the differential movement of the masses through the chambers 19 and26 it will be observed that the portions of the original mass will bewidely distributed and difi'erently associated and intermixed when themass emerges from the discharge open ings of the machine. Because of thepeculiar nature of rubber this method of mixing I and distributing thecompounds results in an especially homogeneous or evenly mixed compoundwithout the danger of over-milling the material. The advantage of thesingle preliminary screw 15 and the two feeding hoppers lies in the factthat some of the ingredients may be mixed or partially mixed into themass of rubber before other ingredients are added.

From this it will be apparent any num: ber of feed openings may beprovided and open into the casing at desirable points. It will also beapparent that the number of screw conveyers and chambers therefor may beadded to in order to eflect suflicient mixing of the ingredients upononce going through the machine.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred form of myinvention, I do not desire to be limited to the precise details setforth, but desire to avail myself of such variations and changes as comewithin the scope of the appended claims.

I claim 1. A mixing machine comprising a casing having a plurality ofelongated passages, there being communicating openings between thepassages; mixing conveyer members in and substantially fitting the boresof said passages, said conveyer members and passages being arranged todivide material and bring it back together again in the casing; andmeans for operating the conveyers.

. 2. A mixing machine comprising two conveyers, one disposed at an angleto the other and adapted to deposit material against the side of saidother conveyer, said last-mentioned conveyer being adapted to separatematerial discharged thereagainst and move such material laterally fromthe first-mentioned conveyer; and means for conducting material from theremote end portions of the second-mentioned conveyer back together intoa single mass of material.

3. A mixing machine comprising a casing having two communicating;passages disposed at an angle to each other; a conveyer in one passageadapted to move material from said passage into the other passage; aconveyer in the second-mentioned passage adapted to divide said materialand move the latter to the remote ends of such passage, there being acommunication between the ends of the second-mentioned passage forconducting material from the latter back into a single mass of material.

4. A mixing machine comprising two substantially parallel conveyers incommunica-v tion at their ends, one conveyer being adapt ed to receivematerial at its central portiou and move such material to its endportions, and the other conveyer being adapted to receive said materialat its end portions and move such material to its central portion.

5. A mixing machine comprising a casing having two substantiallyparallel elongated passages therein connected together at their ends,one of the passages having a receiving opening at its central ortion andthe other passage having a disc arge end at its central portion; aconveyor in one of the passages adapted to divide material and move thelatter from the receiving opening to both ends of one of the passages;and a conveyor in the other passage adapted to move material from theends of the last-mentioned passage to the discharge opening.

' 6. Amixing machine comprising a casing inclosing a plurality ofchambers communicating at their ends; a mixing and conveying member ineachchamber, one of said members being adapted to move materials fromthe central portion of one chamber to the ends thereof, moving suchmaterials faster towardone end than toward the other end,-and the otherconveyer being adapted to move materials from the ends of anotherchamber to the central portion thereof, moving such materials fasterfrom one end than from the other; and means operating said members.

7 A mixing machine comprising a casing;

mixing members in the casing adapted to hand threads of difi'erentpitches so as to move and mix materials-at relatively different speeds;and means connected with said screws adapted to rotate'the latter andImove materials from the receiving opening through said chambers to thedischarge opening.

9. A mixing machine comprising a casing inclosing two substantiallycylindrical chambers comunicating at their ends, there being a feedopening at the central portion of one chamber and a discharge opening atthe central portion of the other chamber; mixin screws in andsubstantially filling said 0 ambers; and means operating said screws andmoving materials from said re- -ceiving opening to both ends of one ofthe chambers and from the ends of the other chamber to said dischargeopening, moving the-materials toward one end of the firstmentionedchambers faster than toward the other end of such chamber.

10. A mixing machine comprising a hollow casing havlng a receivingopening and a discharge opening therein; 'a plurality of mixing andconveying members therein adapted to divide materials into two portions,to mix the particles of each portion,

conveying one portion faster through the machine than the other portionand then bring the portions together again and intermix them indifferent rotations than before the material was divided.

11. The combination of a casing having a mixing chamber and a mixingmember therein for mixing and progressing the material in said chamberas a mass, and a plurality of differentially operating mechanismsarranged to divide the mass, progress the divisions thereof -.atdifferent relative speeds and re-mass andmanipulate the divisions.

12. The combination of a plurality of rubber mixing and manipulatingmechanisms having a common discharge chamber and having relativelydifferentially acting manipulators arranged to deliver masses ofmaterial at relatively difi'erent speeds into said chamber, means forresisting the discharge of material from said chamber to cause theintermixing of the masses therein,

and a common mixing and manipulating mechanism having means formanipulating a single mass of material and supplying divisions thereofto saiddiiferential mechanisms.

.13. The combination of a casing having two substantially paralleltubular chambers communicating at their ends, and one of said chambers.having feed opening intermediate its ends and the other a dischar 0opening intermediate its ends, differential y .acting manipulatingscrews operating to" move the materials from the feed opening to theends of one of the said chambers, similar diflerentially acting screwsoperating to move the material from the ends to the discharge-openingofthe other chamber, a casing having a common tubular mixing chamberdisposed at right angles to said other chambers and communicating at oneend with said feed opening, a mixing and manipulating screw operating toprogress material in said common chamber to said feed opening, and ahopper at the other end of said common chamber.

14. The combination of a casing having two substantially paralleltubular chambers communicating at their ends, and one of said chambershaving a feed opening intermediate its ends and the othera dischar 0opening intermediate its ends, differential y acting manipulating screwsoperating to move the material from the feed opening to the ends of oneof said chambers, similar differentially acting screws operating to movethe material from the endsto thedischarge opening of the other chamber,a casing ha'vand a plurality of hoppers dis d at difigxg' acommontubular mixing chamber disferent points in said casings w ereby mate-vppsed at right angles to said other chambers rial may be suppliedthereto. 7 10 and communicating at one end with said In testimonywhereof I have signed my .5 feeding opening, a mixing. and manipulatnameto this specificationon this 7th day of.

ing-screw operatin to progress material in March, A. D. 1917. saidcommon cham r" to said fe'ed opening GEORGE W. BULLEY.

6091:: of this ilhlt may be obtained for he cents each, by dressing theOommiuioner of Intent V wumn m, n. o."

